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Foundation Is Moving on Up

Crews with Tella Firma last week raised the foundation slab in Area C of the jail 10 inches by turning massive bolts one-third of an inch at a time. The process – part of Tella Firma's innovative approach to foundation construction that included drilling hundreds of helical piers and laying a thinner slab –was the first ever for a correctional facility, and the largest ever attempted by the company.

Nearly 275 bolts were turned 30 times each. Overall, the slab required more than 8,000 turns of the wrench over about six hours by a crew of about two dozen moving row by row back and forth across the slab.

In the end, the process worked without a hitch.

Another change to the jail site in recent weeks is obvious in the above photos and video: the addition of the metal roof deck. Structural steel installation opened a new phase in the jail's construction – and, perhaps most important, reducing the chances that rain can disrupt the project.

Slabs in areas D and E, supporting booking and jail administration, are scheduled to be lifted next week, with additional walls expected to go up the first week in March.